For the Genuinely Cunning
by Huh.Figures
Summary: Sasuke's in a new town and meets a peculiar girl. Sakura, the girl from the vinyl store. He falls in love with her but there are people he can't protect her from. AU.
1. Dream On

_Itachi,_

_It seems like I've been laying in the back seat of Mom's crap convertible for a century, but Mom says, "We've been on the road for two hours, Sasuke-chan! We've got one to go! You're going to _love_ Ocean City...". I've taken naps, but they haven't lasted longer than five minutes because Mom has to incessantly talk about everything that we pass: from roadkill, "Oh my god! Sasuke-chan, there's a dead raccoon!" to crap about Dad, "It seems like you got all of your traits from me, not your asshole father." It's a bit odd how she can say mean things but still sound pleasant. _

_Ever since the divorce, Mom's been on mood swings. I understand that she's mad and all, but listening to her spew about Dad is kind of getting on my nerves._

_Mom keeps telling me that we've been to Ocean City before, on a family trip, but I don't remember it at all. "We went when you were about two," she seemed to be searching for the memories inside her mind, "yes," she reassured herself. "two."_

_"Oh," I mutter. As if I cared._

_The car stops for a red light and Mom puts on some lipstick, admiring herself in the closest side-view mirror. "I remember Itachi swallowed a small lump of sand and thought he was going to die, so he peed himself." I smirk, because you're an idiot and Mom sees it too._

_The light turns green, the wheels roll again, over the speed limit, _way_ over. Soon enough, I hear the tires skid and Mom mutter, "_Shit_... coppers," when she spots a police car behind us. Immediately, I bolt upright and strap my seat belt on in record time. Mom's never been a good driver._

_Mom got off easy. Surprisingly, we didn't get a ticket. I wasn't paying attention to her and the cop's conversation, but judging by the redness of his neck and the smirk on Mom's face, it had to do with boobs. Our _Mom's_ boobs. A shiver runs down my spine and I try to shake it off._

_It's about 7 PM now. I am really tired from being in the car so long. I'm going to try to sleep._

_I hope that internship in France is going well. Are the girls hot?_

_The better brother,_

_Sasuke_

* * *

I felt someone shaking my shoulder. After opening my eyes, I found it was my mom. She had a smile on her face and an exciting look in her eyes. "We're here, Sasuke-chan!"

I get out of the car slowly, letting my body adjust to my movement, awaking my muscles. Then, I gazed at the townhouse I was going to live in until whenever. Mom was a writer, a career in which your location isn't important. Since "The Big D" (not dick you perv, _divorce,_ get your mind out of the gutter) back in January, we had been moving all over the place. From the nice neighborhood in Pittsburg from my childhood, then Springfield, IL until Mom wanted to go to the nation's capital. Mom got bored and decided, she wanted a beach. So there we were, Ocean City, MD.

The moving thing, I'm okay with it. It was annoying sometimes, though, because some thing never changed, wherever I went. Things like instant popularity. I know I'm attractive. It has pros and cons, but more cons. Girls seemed to never _ever_ get a clue. How many times do I have to decline marriage proposals before it finally clicks?

But, let's get one thing straight.

I am not, never was, never will be gay.

Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not a homophobe, but I'm not a homosexual. I was just the type to admire the "milkshakes that bring all the boys to the yard" from afar. Relationships weren't my thing. Unless they lasted for fifteen minutes.

Vulgar much? Yes. Very much, thank you.

When Mom and I had finished loading our new home, it was 9 PM. Leave it to my mother to not leave on time. I hadn't eaten anything since lunchtime. Mom must have read my mind. "Go get us some takeout," she handed me some crumpled money, sending me off.

* * *

After a ten minute walk, I found myself in a shopping center of sorts. The place looked a little decrepit. Broken glass on the side walk, distant dog barks, shady lighting and the unforgettable aura of creepiness. The feeling that you shouldn't be there, it pounces on your back like a jaguar, quick. I stood taller with my guard up.

Something caught my eye.

A little shop with a lit open sign and lit letters spelling "Vinyl Shop". The "i" and "p" were blinking. I watched those two letters closely. On off on off, a constant struggle. Suddenly, the "i" gave up, shutting off. My eyes narrowed. I almost felt some small sadness. Something came over me and I walked over to the place.

Peering through the window, I saw rows of vinyl in carts organized by artists. Posters of rock bands ranging from Aerosmith to Fall Out Boy strewn on the walls haphazardly. Like they could fall any minute. It kind of reminded me of the sign. The shop seemed totally empty. Intrigued, I walked in. A doorbell chimed.

Fluorescent lights shined down from random places on the ceiling, ready to drop. White tile was under my feet, cracked and gritty. The place was oddly... homey, like the crapiness was inviting. "Anybody here?" I asked.

Nobody answered.

I turned my head to see there was a cash register on top of a glass case that displayed artist memorabilia. A framed picture of Amy Winehouse with "RIP" scribbled on the top edge caught my eye. The glass case was supported by a block of plastic on the floor that was a foot high. I went over to it. There was a bell on the case that I pushed several times, faster each time. One. Two. One. Two. One, two. One, two. One-two. One-two. One-two-one-two-one-two-one-two. But then, I realized nothing was going to happen. There was nobody to answer.

By accident, I looked over the counter. My eyebrows raised sky-high.

It was a girl. Lying on the ground. Her green eyes half-lidded, soft lips (kissable, but that thought got put in a hidden, locked box, quick enough) parted, long, pink (peculiar) hair that waved and curled tightly towards the tips sprawled out around her. Slightly tanned skin that I wanted to touch (buried that thought too). The girl was small, 64 inches at most.

She wasn't conventional pretty, but beautiful anyways.

But then it hit me.

The girl looked _dead_.

I went into panic mode, frantically trying to know what I should do next. Hastily, I climbed over the counter. Gently, I picked up her wrist and felt for a pulse with my thumb. Nothing. Desperate, I put my ear to her chest. Laying my head down intently, I hoped for a heartbeat. Bu-dum. Bu-dum. Bu-dum. Relief came.

"Hm?"

That was not my voice, too feminine.

"Mister, what are you trying to pull?!" the voice was _ticked off_. It was the girl.

"Uchiha Sasuke," I introduced myself. But by the look of her expression, she wasn't interested. Soon enough, a small knee made contact with the prized sack, sending me toppling over holding my crotch and groveling in pain.

She stood up and marched to the door, opening it as far as possible. "You may leave, when your ready, _Sir_." Her nose stuck high in the air. "Don't you _dare_ think of coming back." Obviously, I was not welcome.

Still grimacing from the pain in my man parts, I got up and made my way towards the door. "I wasn't trying to be creepy, Pinky. I was just checking to see if you were alive," I muttered to her, right in front of the girl.

"My eyes were half open, weren't they..." she admitted, letting go of the door handle. "It's a bad habit, I sleep like I'm dead," she giggled. It was cute, I mentally slapped myself.

I smirked. "Scared the shit out of me. I couldn't feel you pulse either."

"You used your thumb, didn't you. The thumb has its own pulse. That's probably why you didn't catch mine." Her lightly sunburned cheeks became a tint redder for a moment, but snapped back to their usual burned color. "I'm sorry," she said, green eyes downcast. "I-..." she tried to form a sentence. "I... I'm not really... um," she pushed a pink strand behind her ear. "I'm not really used to," she paused, looking for the right word. "Well... nice guys."

I opened the door for myself and saw her lips form a small frown, like she was disappointed that I was leaving, so I let go of the handle, letting the door shut and leaned on it. The frown was replaced by a small smile. Butterflies in my stomach came. A sickening, yet wonderful feeling.

"Your a tourist, aren't you?" She seemed to have some sort of excited bounce now that she new I was staying longer.

"You have bad observation skills, Pinky. Just moved." I replied. That came out ruder than it was meant to. I hoped that she wouldn't back off, though.

She blushed a little, embarrassed about asking a question I made seem dumb. "Where'd you come from?" The girl turned her head and looked up at me, like she was interested it what I had to say. Usually girls aren't. They immediately latch onto me and imply dirty things.

"DC, most recently," I looked down at her for a moment. Her eyes were my favorite. Beautiful, green and curious.

"What do you mean, 'most recently'?" She questioned.

"I'm from Pittsburg, originally," I said.

"Like 'Dance Moms'?"

"Like 'Dance Moms'."

It was like she knew that the topic annoyed me. "Any siblings?" she asked, changing the topic, for which I was thankful for.

"One older brother, Itachi." That bastard had yet to answer my email.

"Where's he now?"

"France."

"Cool."

"Hn."

"What about your parents?" she asked. "What do they do?"

"My mom's a writer," I answered. "Mikoto Uchiha, ever heard of her?"

"Yup. Author of _Reasons Why You Shouldn't Marry Dickheads_. Loved that book."

"The 'Dickhead' in question was my father."

"Oh," she paused awkwardly. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I assured her. "She's working on a sequel."

"Cool."

"Hn."

I looked down. She stopped asking questions, which meant I stopped replying, which meant I should leave.

"I should go," I said, curtly.

"My name is Sakura." I smirked a bit. It was a fitting name, it was nice. Rolled of the tongue easily.

"Sa-ku-ra," I repeated. I liked it. As soon as I stepped outside, I regretted it. But Mom was waiting and I was hungry.

* * *

"Sakura. Sakura. Sakura," It seemed like a mantra when I recited it. Her face, her name was ingrained into my brain. It would never forget her. I walked with a bounce in my step and large smirk on my face. "Not conventional pretty, but beautiful anyways."

The rest of the night was forgettable. I eventually got food, brought it home and ate it.

But I dreamt of her.

* * *

**Hey guys. It's been a while, I missed you. Yes, the title is a FOB reference to the song "The Carpal Tunnel of Love". I think the song describes this story and SASUSAKU perfectly!**

**Review and tell me what you think!**


	2. I'm Not Okay (I Promise)

_Sasu-chan,_

_So i see you've been signing your emails lately, a good habit you picked up from me. _

_Yes. The girls _are_ hot. _

_France is wonderful. Everything is new and interesting, I haven't ever been bored. A huge step-up from Pittsburgh. HUGE. _

_How's the new city?_

_Mom's favorite,_

_Itachi_

_P.S. Are the girls there_ _hot too?_

* * *

I was sweating. It was humid and hot. For two hours, all I did was blast My Chemical Romance, unpack things, lay on my bed and count the minutes I could be using to do something actually useful. When a song changed there was a brief moment of silence.

I thought of her.

It wasn't hard. Her face just appeared in my mind, turning the corners of my mouth up. Sun-burnt cheeks, pale lips, rosy hair, and eyes that were so green they rivaled emeralds. Sakura.

A knock interrupted my thoughts. The door swung open and my mother peered through. "You shouldn't be here," she advised.

"Why not?" I questioned dryly. "I live here."

"Very funny, Sasu-chan-"

"Don't call me that."

"Fine. Sasuke, It's August and you live walking distance to a beach." She inhaled. "Go do something fun."

I sat up to look at her. "I am having fun. Listening to rock is fun."

She raised her wrist. "It's two o'clock," she observed.

"Good job, you can tell time," I rudely added.

"If you spend two hours at the beach, dinner will have tomatoes."

My ears piked up at my favorite food. "Really?" I hoped so.

She nodded and grinned like an idiot. She knew tomatoes were my weakness. How could I deny the vegetable (technically a fruit) with it's lovely tenderness and taste? That got creepy for a second.

* * *

So I was out, my only armor: swim trunks, shower shoes and a coat of sunscreen my mother forced my to adorn in a semi-heated argument that went nowhere for me.

The waves crashed periodically while the scalding hot sand meshed with my toes painfully. Five minutes hadn't passed and I was annoyed. Then when a sun glare reached my eyes, I winced. This was not fun and I could feel my skin tingle from the sun light as if to warn me that I was going to burn like crazy.

Forgetting the tomatoes, I turned to leave, but then I spotted something pink. By default, I immediately thought of her. I was right. There she was, in a group lounging in the sand. But then I realized, she was on someone's lap.

Anger balled up in my stomach and my fists tightened. _What an asshole!_ I wanted to punch his lights out, but then I remembered. She wasn't mine. No matter how much wanted her to be. Anger and disappointment swirled in my stomach, but I decided I had to see her. I had to, at least once today.

I approached them slowly, with a straight face. My lips were in a grim line. Smooth and controlled. I wasn't nervous or at least that was what I thought.

Besides Sakura, there were five others, but the only one I bothered myself with was who she was sitting on. A guy with dark auburn hair and a sinister smirk on his face as he pushed his hand low under her bikini bottom, making her breath hitch and her face show a small look of terror. It was only for a split-second, it seemed I was the only one that saw it.

"Sasori," she purred. It was almost convincing. "Save it for later," she smiled a small smile. Sakura noticed me and sent me a message with her eyes. _Go._

But it was ignored. I wouldn't give up easily. I was selfish. "Sakura," all their heads turned to me. The Sasori guy held a scowl that said I was unwanted. But I kept pushing, recklessly.

She noticeably swallowed a lump. "Hey..." she paused as a hand snaked around her lower abdomen possessively. "What's your name again?" she asked. It was a bit of a letdown, but I didn't let it touch me. She pulled her sunglasses from the top of her head to cover her eyes. I couldn't read her.

"I'ts Sasuke."

She clapped her hands together. "Right," her lips moved slowly to me, though I could hear her words come out smoothly. The corners of her mouth tipped upward. "It's nice to see you again."

"Well-"

"Sakura-chan!" A blaring noise interrupted me. My head whipped around. Was there _another_ guy? Running towards us was a kid with a smile that took up what seemed to be the entire lower half of his face. He stopped right in front of me. "Hey guys!"

His enthusiasm radiated off of him in waves. He was like a ten year-old in a teenager's body. Immediatly, he started babbling nonstop.

I took this opportunity to take a closer look at her. As I noticed the scars on her knees and scattered bruises on her arms and thighs, my throat dried in an instant. I squinted in her direction, letting the scowl on my mouth show as I tightened my fists.

"Sakura," I spoke in a low, dangerous tone.

Her lips pressed together as she glared at me. She turned her head to whisper in his ear, all while his hand remained greedily in her bathing suit. All of the sudden, she stood up, taking me by the elbow and dragging me several paces to the side like I was an eight year old who punched a kid in the face during a soccer game and she was the ref.

"What the _hell_, Sasuke?!" The woman was furious. It was a turn-on, but never-mind that. "That's my boyfriend goddamnit! You can't just march in here and ruin everything!"

My nostrils flared and my voice dropped. "What the hell was I _ruining_?! Your murder?!" My eyes gave into the red tint, an odd family trait that came out in extreme anger. I could tell by the way her green eyes widened in a tinge of fear, but it did not move her. "I'm just trying to protect you," I quietly added.

Sakura's small hands tangled themselves in her hair in frustration. Her shoulders tensed. "_Protect_ me?!" she half shrieked. "The hell-" she paused, pulling her hands from her hair and settling herself. "We don't know each other."

I opened my mouth to interject.

"At _all_," she put her hands on her hips and shifted her gaze to the sand. "And I know you fucking think that you're _Superman_ or something, but I'm not a little girl. I don't need saving."

While she kept her eyes off me, I could tell she was heartbroken in a way. The girl from the vinyl store was not who I thought she was. She was weak and delusional, but I was in love with her, still. Maybe even more. "You can't let someone treat you like that." I took a risk and grabbed her hand. "Can I see you more?"

"Can we forget about this conversation?"

"Hn." That was how I usually answered other people's questions. It was short, not much to work with.

"Friends?" That small smile that made everything better and made my chest hurt. That smile seemed sad for a moment, but immediately brightened up. It was amazing how fast this girl could change emotions. From that moment on, I knew Sakura would be so much more than the girl from the vinyl store.

"Hn."

That small smile.


End file.
